Budget vs quality (marker package)

[Ravin_sk]

A site up my way got in
Tippmann FT-12 Flip-Top .68 Caliber Paintball Marker

• “No tools required” Flip-Top design
• Compact milsim look
• All aluminum receiver & grip-frame
• Modular design with fewer parts
• Tippmann’s proven inline bolt system

The Ft-12 Flip-Top design reduces cleaning and maintenance time by 75%. The FT-12 features a top non-cycling cocking handle that keeps dirt and debris from entering marker, 8.5" high performance barrel, ergonomic vertical grip, 1 ½ inch blade trigger, integrated fixed sights and Tippmann’s World Class 2-year Warranty.
and they where saying they are grate for maintenance
have a look at the tippmann site ....... http://www.tippmann.com/FT-12retail.aspx

 

[Care_Bears]

Tippmann FT-12 Flip-Top .68 Caliber Paintball Marker.
Have a flaw with the central cylinder held by a circlip , well at least some of them depending where they are made, If it`s a Brass one, there`s a little piece of brass that sticks up ( why I don`t know as it does nothing but hinder ) this little bit of brass sometimes gets stuck during the firing, allowing the air to pass = Down Gun,
what I`ve had to do is to file it away to all the guns we got in, if they arn`t Brass , they don`t have this problem because it`ll be flat, I assume.
I do like the concept of these as were designed by the Angel guys that came with Angel when Tippmann took them over.
It`s worth getting in a few Co2 bottles as some of the site guns work better on either Co2 or Air, you have to work it out yourself when you chrono them.

 

[Dusty]

You need to open yourself a trade account, it's by far the most effective way to buy your gear.

You'll also need masks, spares, overalls, packs, spare packs, pods, spare pods, fill adaptors, o-rings, paint insurance, presumably safety netting and all the other gubbins which go with running a site.

I can highly recommend Kee action sports, give John a ring. It costs nothing for a quote.

 

[larsjorgen]

Trade account, why didn't I think of THAT myself.. Hehe I've been doing some imports, so this should've been my first idea, really.

There's just a problem, and that is that I'm in Norway. Even if I were to get the Tippmann 98 marker for 70 bucks all the other gear and everything, and shipment and taxes, become more expensive than if I just buy it here. I can get a package of 10 sets (T98, 200 bar 0.75-0.8 l, Vforce mask, loader) for about $2650. That's pretty good, isn't it? I would probably save like 20-30 bucks per package if I bought it from the US or UK, but it will be a huge pain in the ass if something breaks or if some of them doesn't work like they should out of the box.

 

[Dusty]

Only a phone call away, I find the backup from the distributors excellent.

 

[WildWayz]

Trade account, why didn't I think of THAT myself.. Hehe I've been doing some imports, so this should've been my first idea, really.

There's just a problem, and that is that I'm in Norway. Even if I were to get the Tippmann 98 marker for 70 bucks all the other gear and everything, and shipment and taxes, become more expensive than if I just buy it here. I can get a package of 10 sets (T98, 200 bar 0.75-0.8 l, Vforce mask, loader) for about $2650. That's pretty good, isn't it? I would probably save like 20-30 bucks per package if I bought it from the US or UK, but it will be a huge pain in the ass if something breaks or if some of them doesn't work like they should out of the box.

You'll need to learn how to fix them yourself... and fast. Have spares. If you have 2 marshals on the field, make sure they also carry a spare marker or two each... so if a marker goes down, the customer gets the replacement whilst the marshal fixes the other one.

.50 cal route opens you up to younger ages and it doesn't bruise as much as .68. Deffo look into it.

 

[larsjorgen]

One other thing - what kind of compressor do I need? 200/300 bar, of the the kind divers use, or can I just use a regular compressor?

 

[WildWayz]

200 (or 232, I think) is approx 3000psi fill. 300bar is 4500.
You will need to get one that has air filters to make sure no rubbish goes in there. Best speak to an expert though if you are to use a compressor.

 

[Liam92]

Without getting to details on guns, the 2 things you want in a site gun are A. reliability B. Not breaking paint in guns. These are the 2 reasons that guns take time/wages to fix so for that reason I'd highly recommend the new Tippmann FT-12. I've seen these things go through a lot and they just keep running. but in the off chance you do need to clean them they are so quick to get in to.
I've no experience of 50 cal in the rental market but the same principles apply; find guns that do this and you'll be fine.

Trade account with a manufacturer is a great way of not only starting up but keeping your rental fleet going. the more you can source from one manufacturer the better because they'll always do a better price when buying in bulk. As for compressors, a 3k compressor is sufficient for running a rental fleet and small walk ons, although if you've got the option to get a 4.5k I suppose you might as well, so long as you are prepared to splash on 4.5k tanks. Means less time paying marshalls to stand about filling tanks after all! However due to increasing the cost per unit on tanks, it's an expensive route. I've no doubt over the long term the upgrade would pay for itself but it would be a long time.

Although if there was just ONE investment i could recommend, it would be to get masks with thermal lenses. its the number one complaint from customers when their masks steam up and although it very very rarely happens, its going to reduce the chance of you having to claim insurance because some nutjob lifted their mask to clean their lense.

Its a big task to get going but get yourself a checklist of things you need to do and work through it. Its a lot of hard work but I'm sure the guys in the industry will tell you that its great fun to do as well

 

[WildWayz]

I wouldn't bother with 4.5K fills - stick with 3K fills. Cheaper etc and usually the staff top up air when the punters are snacking up on pies
Another plus of .50cal, is less air fills needed. One fill will last a punter pretty much all day, even if they are trigger happy.